Transdermal drug delivery represents an attractive alternative to oral administration, especially where extended and consistent delivery is desired, and where the replacement of oral tablets and pills is necessary to ensure patient compliance, such as in pediatric and elderly populations.
Transdermal drug delivery provides the advantage of bypassing liver metabolism of drugs, which presents a challenge with the oral administration of drugs. In addition, transdermal drug delivery is pain-free and non-invasive, can be self-administered and provides release for long periods of time. However, only a limited number of drugs are amenable to transdermal administration. While current transdermal delivery devices may successfully deliver lipophilic small molecule drugs, it remains difficult to transdermally deliver hydrophilic drugs through the skin and into the bloodstream. Therefore, a need exists for transdermal delivery drug systems that can sustainably deliver lipophilic, hydrophilic and amphiphilic drugs, are quick to act and do not irritate the skin.